The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1887-07-23
THE CREOLES OF
LOUISIANA;
Or. "reminiscences of an Old
ACadian.
BY FELIX VOORHEES,.
BY FELIX VOORHEES,.

our king Is tne king Oh fTdnce anu we
are not traitors to the king OF England
whose subjects We are To-. II by the force
of arms you have conquered this country
we are willing to recognize your supre-
macy here but we are unwilling to
submit to English rule and it is for this
reason that we have abandoned our homes
to emigrate to Louisiana to seek under
the protection of the French flag the
quiet aud happiness we have enjoyed here.
"The officers who had listened with
folded arms to the noble words of Rene
Leblanc replied with scowl Of hatred"
ITO Louisiana your wish to go, to
Louisiana you may go, and seek in vain
under the French flag that protection
yon have failed to receive under it in
Canada. Soldiers, he added with smile
that made me shudder escort these worthy
patriots to the seashore where transpOrta-
ton will be given them in his majesty's
ships.
The words sounded like death knell to
us. We saw plainly that our doom was seal
ed and that we were undOne forever. And
yet, though fully aroused to the bitterness
Of our misfortunes, we uttered not word
of eXpostulatiOn, but submitted to our
fate with complaint.
They treated us with utmost rigor and
cruelty and paid no regard to either age
or sex. They drove us back through the
forest to the seashore where their ships
lay at anchor, and slowing the greater
number OF us in one Of their ships, the
anchor was Immediately raised and she
set sail with us. The balance of our people
had been embarked on another vessel
which had departed In advance Of us.
us it necessary, petiOts, that l should
speak tOyOu Of our despair, when TINS
torn cruelty from our relatives and
friends we saw ourselves cOoped up as
malefactOrs in the hull of that ship? Is
1t necessary that / should describe the
horror Of our situation our sufferings,
our mental and bodily anguish during
the several days that our voyage on the
sea lasted? Alas! they can bemOre easily
imagined than described! We were shut
up in space hardly large enough to
contain us. The air, rarified by our con-
slant breathing became oppressively hot
and unwhOlesome. We could not lie
down to sleep and rest our weary limbs.
LabOring under severe attacks of seasick-
ness with hardly any food, with hardly
any water to wet our parched lips with
out any one to care for us to sOOthe grief
with kind words, you can imagine that
our sufferings became unbearable. Yet
when we expostulated with our jallOrs
and complained bitterly of the excess of
our woes it seemed to rejoice them.
They would deride us and call us noble
patriots, stubborn French people, papists;
epithets that went right to our hearts
and added to our desOlatiOn.
AT last the ship was anchored and we
were told that We had reached the place
of Our destination. Was it Louisiana
we inquired eagerly. smile full OF
scOrn and you will soon find out was
the only answer given. to OuI question.
We were disembarked with the same
ruthless precipitation with which we
had deem dragged to the ship. We were
landed on a precipitous and rocky shore
and after leaving us few rations, they
rOwed back to their ship saluting us in
derision with their caps and bidding
farewell to the noble French patriots.